Aliana Palmer cops nine CSEC subjects
Published:Friday | September 13, 2019 | 12:00 AMVanessa James/Gleaner Writer
Aliana Palmer has made herself and her family proud after copping nine subjects in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, bringing to 12 the number of subjects she has under her belt.
The 16-year-old student said that it took a lot of practice and studying.
“I had a study timetable, and I would practise a lot of past papers and watch YouTube videos,” she said. “I watched crash courses on YouTube. I typed in the topics in the search bar, and whatever comes up, I watched it. Watching YouTube videos helps with the retention of information because I am not the type of person who can read and say, ‘Oh, okay that’s nice’.”
Palmer explained that closer to her exams, she would spend at least three hours each day studying, in addition to school hours, extracurricular activities, and church activities.
“When I am not at school or studying, I am at church, where I am dancing or I am volunteering with the children,” she said.
She is also a member of five clubs at school and said that she is usually there late as a result.
FIRST CSEC SITTING
When asked how she felt about her achievements, Palmer told The Gleaner that she was very excited.
“I am kind of excited because the first CSEC exam that I did was in second form,” Palmer said. “I did POA (principles of accounts) with my sister because my mom told my sister to do accounts and she was all like, ‘Aliana, why don’t you go and try it out, too,? so I went to class, and then I did the exam and I got a grade one,” she said proudly.
Palmer pursued electronic document preparation and management at the CSEC level in third form and principles of business in fourth form, both of which she passed with grade ones. However, she explained that she was nervous for this year’s examinations.
“This year, I got a bit anxious because every other year when I did the exam, I got a one, so this year, when I had the whole batch of nine subjects to do, I didn’t know how I was going to manage all of that,” she admitted. “Eventually, I did well, but I cried sometimes because I was nervous and I didn’t want to do badly.”
The St Andrew High School student said that she was relieved when she got the results.
“My parents are so happy and proud, and they are like, ‘We didn’t expect anything less,’ because that’s just something about me from long ago – I have always been excelling at whatever I do or whatever I set my mind to,” Palmer stated.
Palmer is set to start sixth form, where she plans to pursue economics, pure mathematics, computer science, communication studies, and possibly physics at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations level.